* * *

The atmosphere in the castle was tumultuous and urgent. Healers were busy healing the knights who had been brought in, magicians were strengthening the castle’s defenses, and servants were rushing to deliver reports from all corners.

“Hmph, this is crazy. Should I freeze everyone but the two of us?”

“Don’t talk nonsense, just stick close to me.”

“How close? This close?”

Lydon chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around Cadel’s waist, pressing their bodies close together. Cadel pushed Lydon away familiarly and straightened his clothes. They arrived in front of the Emperor’s office.

“No mocking the Emperor, no magic, no offense. Okay?”

“There are a lot of things I can’t do. Is there another fairy as pitiful as me, darling?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know any pitiful fairies, but I think there is one pitiful human.”

Lydon pouted at Cadel’s nonchalance, knocking on the door without so much as a glance at him. Lydon couldn’t believe Cadel behaved like that and expected him to be quiet. His human was truly a greedy person.

Whether he knew Lydon’s dissatisfaction or not, Cadel opened the door as soon as the Emperor’s reply to his request to enter had ceased.

“Oh, now I finally see the real thing.”

It wasn’t just the Emperor in the room. There was another man with an unusually imposing appearance. He had a rough beard that covered his chin and piercing green eyes. Old, wrinkled scars dotted his face and neck, and his piercing eyes gave him a wild, feral air.

A blue cloak hung from the stranger’s back. The uniform of the Guardian Knight Order. Cadel bowed to the Emperor, then shifted his gaze back to the man, who approached with great strides and held out his hand.

“I’m Ector Entei, Commander of the Guardian Knight Order.”

“Nice to meet you, Sir Ector. I’m the Commander of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order―”

“Cadel Lytos. I know that.”

The hands that met for a handshake were strong. Ector laughed heartily, shaking his hand vigorously in front of a bewildered Cadel.

“How did you know my name…….”

“The reputation of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order is well known outside the Empire. I was curious to see if the Empire would finally have an elite Knight Order, given the number of High Demons they’ve slain. I’m glad to see you here, though it’s a bad time.”

Cadel, his lips twitching upward at Ector’s merry face, glanced at the Emperor behind him, expecting him to explain how he knew who Cadel was. The Emperor opened his mouth with a small sigh to explain how this man knew his identity, but Ector was one step ahead of him.

Ector withdrew his shaking hand, lifted both of his cauldron-sized hands, and cupped Cadel’s face, looking into every detail of the small face as he spoke.

“He really does look just like Master Jenga, Your Majesty! Could this be done by just changing his hair color and his eye color? We’d be in big trouble if he got noticed by mistake. Haha!”

“……That’s enough, Ector.”

“What do you mean? Ha! The resemblance is creepy.”

Ector studied Cadel’s face intently, oblivious to the shock on Cadel’s face as if lost in his own reminiscences. Derek’s protests went unheeded, and as Lydon watched the two men’s too-close proximity, a single thought raced through his mind.

‘No mocking the Emperor, no magic, no offense. ……But he’s not the Emperor, right?’

“Take your hands off before I cut them off.”

Ector’s gaze slowly shifted from Cadel to the three ice spears hovering across from him, pointed at him.

He dropped his arms with a snarl at the sudden threat, and the face of the man standing by Cadel’s side came into view. He was a handsome man, with a face that seemed to improve one’s vision just by looking at it.

“Why are you flirting with my darling with that ugly face? You’re an eyesore. It’s disgusting, so if you don’t like yourself, just tell me. I’ll kill you right away.”

A murderous tone at odds with the sparkling face. Ector stroked his chiseled chin as he alternated between the slowly spinning ice spears and Lydon’s transparent wings.

Feeling as if he’d been doused in cold water, Cadel quickly shoved Ector out of the way.

“Since we just went through a battle, I think my subordinate has become a little more sensitive. I apologize on his behalf.”

“……Is that really a fairy?”

“So is there a fake fairy? Are your eyes just for decoration? Should I just pluck out the ones that aren’t so pretty and get rid of them?”

What’s with all the sudden outbursts? The tone of his voice was light and joking, but Cadel, who had been with Lydon for a long time, could tell that the moody fairy had become quite unhappy. Lydon, whose judgment had been warped by someone other than himself, was a tricky man to deal with. Especially when he couldn’t be coddled and appeased to his heart’s content.

“Why, why is this happening, Lydon? Have you forgotten the promise you made before coming here?”

Cadel tried to stop Lydon’s snide remarks by toning down his voice but to no avail.

“What are you looking at? Stay away from Cadel. It would be better if you jumped out of that window.”

“Hmm, there’s a big difference between hearing about it and seeing it. Not quite the fairy I imagined.”

“Is that in that bushy head of yours, the dirty brain that imagined me? Nasty! Get out of the way, darling. I’m going to remove that brain and throw it away.”

The good news was that Ector was also a commander-level listener. His ability to see only what he wanted to see in an opponent was also considerable.

“Kahaha! I love the belligerent look on your face. With such a tall figure and a beautiful face, isn’t the world so unfair?”

Ector naturally pushed Cadel, who was blocking him, and approached Lydon. Did Lydon truly believe that no one could harm him, or was he confident that he would be able to block whatever attack came his way? As he approached the violent fairy, he lifted his head slightly, locking eyes with Lydon.

“I heard that you saved Jeriel’s life in the battle that took place at the gateway in the past. It’s late, but I want to say thank you. He’s my favorite subordinate.”

“I don’t remember it.”

“Is this kind of grace unique to you alone? The more I look at it, the more I like it.”

“I don’t want to be liked by you.”

“Would you consider joining my Knight Order? I promise you the best treatment.”

Cadel, who had been listening to their conversation, ran a hand through his hair when Ector’s eloquent remark made him pause.

“Sir Ector. The conversation just took place…….”

“Hmm? What is it, Sir Cadel? Are you afraid I might steal your subordinate?”

“Haha……. You seem to have a mischievous side.”

No matter what Ector offered, Lydon would never follow him. Not even as a joke. Even with that certainty, Cadel forced himself to squeeze between Lydon and Ector’s narrow gap.

“Are you coveting the talent of the Knight Order, of which there are few?”

“Then why don’t you trade him for one of ours? That punk Sorin is becoming more and more inflexible by the day. I’d like to trade him for this cheerful young man.”

Swap Sorin and Lydon. Of course, if Sorin were his subordinate, he wouldn’t cause trouble like Lydon, he wouldn’t do things that would cause trouble like he did now, and the harmony of the Knight Order would be much easier. But.

“My subordinate is not an object, and how can I trade him so simply? Lydon is my dear connection.”

“Huh? As a lover?”

Lydon, who quietly hugged Cadel’s waist, asked in a more relaxed voice, but the answer came back from Ector.

“Kahaha! Of course it is. You looked annoyed that I was showing interest in the fairy, so I teased you a little.”

“……I’ve never seen that look on your face before.”

“I don’t know my facial expressions.”

Ector chuckled and turned to Derek, leaving the two men clinging to each other like magnets. Derek looked at Ector’s satisfied expression and shook his head slightly.

“Fooling around in the middle of a war. You’re a good fighter, Ector.”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but perhaps it’s because I’ve spent my entire life on the battlefield that today feels like just another day.”

“So, Cadel, what’s the urgent information?”